Inside the Brown-Newsom transition as California governor

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, right, smiles as Gov. Jerry Brown responds to a reporter's question after meeting at the Capitol, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, in Sacramento. Newsom, who defeated Republican John Cox in the Nov. 6 election, will be sworn in to office Jan. 7, 2019.

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, right, smiles as Gov. Jerry Brown responds to a reporter's question after meeting at the Capitol, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, in Sacramento. Newsom, who defeated Republican John Cox in the Nov. 6 election, will be sworn in to office Jan. 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Bonus: Expect more hires to be announced in the coming weeks and months. To help him fill job openings, Newsom has set up a jobs page for those interesting in joining his administration.

2. Newsom’s inauguration events

Newsom’s transition team has also been busy preparing for the big inauguration party that is set for Sunday and Monday.

On Sunday, Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom will host a children’s event at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Later that evening, Newsom will also host a fundraising concert with musical acts like Pitbull and Common performing at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Tickets start at $25.

Funds raised from the concert — which includes packages that range from $25,000 to $200,000 — will go to those affected by the recent California wildfires, the Times reported.

3. Roll call at Newsom’s inauguration

Brown is expected at Newsom’s swearing-in ceremony, but the list of names of those attending has yet to be made public. We’ll update this post once the list becomes available.

4. Newsom’s policy agenda in first weeks

Even before taking office, political observers have been trying to forecast Newsom’s policy focus in his first year in office. Here are some of the issues Newsom may tackle this year:

Early childhood programs: Newsom is expected to propose spending some $1.8 billion on early childhood education programs and child-care programs throughout the state, the Times reported.

Free community college: Newsom is expected to propose a “full two years of free community college” in his first budget as governor, Politico reported.

Universal health care: Newsom’s first hires — O’Leary and Matosantos — seem to signal that he will make universal health care a priority in his administration, The Mercury-News reported. O’Leary helped develop the Children’s Health Insurance Program under the Bill Clinton administration, and Matosantos helped negotiate health insurance access under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

State’s water policies: Members of the State Water Resources Control Board under Brown’s administration have signaled that Newsom may take a different approach and philosophy to state water policies. Since the election, the board proposed water districts to cut historic diversions in an effort to protect salmon populations, the Times reported.